Downtown Disney is getting ready to host an event more important than
the Super Bowl, and the Academy Awards combined.It’s time once again for – drum roll, please
– the Festival of the Masters.

Okay, okay.I admit it’s not as
grand as I want it to be.There won’t be
any long-winded speeches from the Hollywood elite, and the chance of Andrew
Luck leading his team to a forth-quarter win is about 0%.But there is art.Disney art.Plenty of it.As a gent who
enjoys painting, drawing, and doodling, I’m pretty excited.

Award winning artists from across the nation will have their works
(and themselves) on display in tents around Downtown Disney beginning this
weekend.

Art of Disney is one of the most unique, and magical stores in the
whole of Walt Disney World. The original works inside have, many times, served
as inspiration for my own paintings.Plenty of the paintings hanging at Art of Disney are on my ever-growing
wish list of things-I-need-to-buy.Alas,
I rarely have a spare $2, 500 burning a whole in my pocket to purchase
one.

Any true Disney fan should enjoy Festival of the Masters, an
under-rated and almost forgotten Disney tradition.So often, Disney guests are fast to dismiss
Downtown Disney for the speed of the parks.Festival of the Masters marks a perfect chance to slow down and take in
the details.

The Walt Disney Company was founded on the shoulders of talented
artists like Frank Thomas, Les Clark, and Ward Kimball.Take a moment to lay down the Fast Passes, my
friends.Ignore the clichéd family photo
in front of the newly installed over-sized Christmas décor (at least for the
afternoon).Instead, hop the bus to
Downtown Disney, grab some Fish and Chips from Cooks of Dublin, and check out
the pieces on display from some of the most talented artists working
today.

On Monday, Disney Cruise
Lines announced some new and altered itineraries for some late 2013 sailings
out of Galveston. This Texas port is still young for DCL and it would seem they
are still trying to find their sea legs with clients who would sail from this
location. The new itineraries include Caribbean 7-day sailings with stops at
Disney's standby Grand Cayman and Cozumel but also adds Jamaica -- a brand new
port for DCL. The new Bahamas 7-Day includes Key west and Nassau, but also
Castaway Cay, a port that was glaringly absent from Galveston sailings up until
now. They also announced a 6-night holiday cruise with only two ports of call
and three days at sea and two four-night "getaway" sailings just
after Christmas and over New Year's 2014.

Any guests who are currently
booked to sail during this time will be contacted by their travel professional
with options for rebooking or cancellation.

Personally, I am surprised
to see Jamaica as a Disney port considering the issues there over the last two
years. Although many cruise lines still offer Jamaican ports with no issues,
the family market is not highly tolerant of areas of any risk at all. That
said, it's exciting to be able to offer a new destination from Disney. The best
news, however, is the addition of Castaway Cay to the itinerary for the
Bahamian cruises. Disney's private island is a high point on any Disney cruise
and is extremely popular with guests. Although many major cruise lines offer a
private island or beach on their Bahamian and Caribbean itineraries, few can
compare with Disney's beautiful island and especially with their ability to
dock the ship and not have to tender passengers in. This is fantastic news for
Galveston guests and the future of DCL in Texas.

The Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing
Lights has been one of the most popular holiday attractions at Disney World
since its first run in 1995.At nearly
20 years old, you would think that attendance and fascination with these
magical lights would have waned somewhat.Oh no!Each year Disney 'pluses'
the attraction with something new and special for that season...giving guests
yet another reason to come down for this special event.This year is no exception by any means!Perennial favorite, Goofy, will be available
for a meet and greet dressed up like santa claus!Not only does Goofy's costume look fabulous,
he will (apparently) be greeting guests in front of a wonderfully festooned
Christmas backdrop, and bringing with him a version of "Winter
Wonderland" to the menagerie of classic Christmas songs.I'm really looking forward to another reason
to spend time among the glittering lights!

Alan Mize

Well, it’s that time of year
again.The pumpkins and the not so scary
costumes have been stored away for another year, and Disney turns to the next
major holiday at the Walt Disney World Resort, Christmas.The usual suspects are in play this
year.All of the resorts are decorated
from top to bottom with trees, wreaths, bows and gingerbread structures.The special parade floats are cleaned and
ready to go.Special pyrotechnics are
added to the fireworks shows and the Castle Dreamlights are plugged in, and
have transformed Cinderella Castle into a beautiful ice palace.The Christmas Season will be in full force
beginning with the sold out Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on November
9th.My personal favorite Christmas
event at The World also kicks off on the 9th, The Osborne Family Spectacle of
Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.Sure it will probably be in the 80’s and people will be in shorts, but
back on the Streets of America, you can’t help but feel like you’re in an
Irving Berlin Christmas song.This year,
Disney is adding some new touches to the show which should make it extra
special.Santa Goofy will be making
appearances in the new Goofy’s Winter Wonderland area which should provide a
great opportunity to meet one of The Big Four all dressed up for
Christmas.In addition, a new
arrangement of Winter Wonderland has been added to the show.This will give those dancing lights something
new to dance to.The Osborne Lights are
already a huge draw at Christmas time and I think these new additions will
improve the event and will entice even more people to head to the Studios to
experience this Disney Christmas tradition.

Wreck-it Ralph opened in the
US last week, and has already topped the Box Office with takings of $49.1m.
That's quite a few gold coins for a film based on video game characters. As I
live in the UK, we have to wait until February to see this movie, but with the
Box Office doing so well in the first week in the States (and the critical
response being mostly positive), rumours of a sequel are rife.

As I haven't seen the movie,
I can't comment on whether it should warrant a sequel, but this adds on to the
fact that Hollywood seems to have no concept for original or unique ideas. Of
course, it is possibly too soon to decide if a sequel should happen, but from
articles and interviews online, it seems inevitable. My opinion? Well, if the
sequel can bring the heart and story that other franchises have done (such as
Toy Story, for example), then I am all for it. When I enjoy a film – and
specifically the characters – I just want to gobble up as much of that world as
possible! So I can see why a film which does well has the automatic sequel tag
added to it, but it doesn’t mean that everything that has been successful
should have follow-up movies made. I loved Finding Nemo, but am hesitant at any
sequels made from that smash hit. That being said, if there is a market, in
terms of movies, merchandise and spin-off opportunities, the sequels will keep
churning out (Cars 2, anyone?). At least nowadays the focus at the Walt Disney
Company is appears to be more on storytelling and the strength of that aspect.
It gives me hope that if a sequel does happen, it will be as good as the
original.

Christmas is already in (almost) full swing at Walt Disney World!The Castle Dream Lights began sparkling the
night on Tuesday, and this Friday a sorcerer’s hat full of more magic will
launch: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom, the Osborne
Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios, and Mickey’s Jingle
Jungle Parade at Animal Kingdom.Epcot’s
festivities, including Holidays Around the World and the Candlelight
Processional, won’t start until November 23, the day after Thanksgiving.

And if you’re not headed to MVMCP, there are still a few great options
to meet the characters in holiday attire.Santa Goofy will be near the Osborne Lights at the Studios, while Mickey
and friends will be decked out for the season in Camp Minnie-Mickey at Animal
Kingdom (all starting Friday).

Want an extra-magical family evening?Catch the Castle lighting ceremony in the Magic Kingdom at 6:15, then
take a ferry boat to Fort Wilderness to soak in the campers’ decorations before
hitting up the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue or Trail’s End. The families camping at Fort Wilderness really
go all out with their lights, and their work is often overlooked by all the
other fun WDW festivities, but is still definitely worth checking out.(And your ferry ride will offer a great view
of the glistening Castle from the water!)

Of the 21 films submitted
for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category of the 85th Academy
Awards, four of them are Disney films: Brave, Frankenweenie, Wreck-It Ralph and
Secret of the Wings. With competition like Hotel Transylvania and Madagascar 3,
I'll be totally shocked if either Ralph or Merida doesn't take home the little
Oscar statuette. But the real question is: will any of them be considered for
Best Picture? Be sure to check out the official nominations, which will be
announced on January 10 at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time).

I'll admit it, I feel a bit
slimy talking about Christmas already, with Halloween just a week behind us and
Thanksgiving still weeks away, but if Walt Disney World is alredy talking trees
and trimmings, I guess I can too. Yesterday, Disney showcased a new Sorcerers
of the Magic Kingdom card that will be given out exclusively to guests of
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and here I am still trying to get my hands
on the card from Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party...

I like that the powers that
be behind Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom aren't sitting on their laurels with
their new collectible game. The release pattern of the cards, with the Super
Rares just recently being unveiled for purchase in the park, and specialty
event cards, shows that they know they've got a hit on their hands. At the same
time, they're not flooding to market with cards and sets that would be
unobtainable to guests who do not frequent the parks on a regular basis. I'm
enjoying the ability to collect, slowly but surely, as I get over to the Magic
Kingdom, and not having to worry about a new set creating panic for me to
collect the original set in a relatively short time.

The special event cards is
giving something back to those who attend the parties each year. For the past
several years, many regular guests had felt that they had been asked to pay
more, but get less, for the Halloween and Christmas parties. While the
Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards are not the solution in and of themselves,
they are certainly a step in the right direction.

Oh, and if you happen to
have an extra Chip 'N' Dale's Bag of Tricks, or grab a duplicate of Wayne and
Lanny's Ornament Barrage, think of this newspaperman and send them my way,
would ya?

Do you miss the Boy Meets
World reruns that used to play on the Disney Channel at 2am? Do you leave for
work late each morning every morning because Boy Meets World is on at 7 a.m. on
ABC Family?

If you answered yes to
either of these questions (with exclamations points, like me!!), it’s possible
you may keel over with excitement about a project that is making waves all over
the internet. The Disney Channel is in the early stages of casting and planning
a Boy Meets World sequel with a twist: the focal point of the show would be
Cory and Topanga’s teenager daughter, Riley.

Okay sure, this could spell
potential disaster but with the news that Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel are in
talks to take part and that original executive producer Michael Jacobs is
penning the pilot, I’m feeling very hopeful.

In fact, I think this is a
great move for the Disney Channel in general. Since Raven, Miley, and Demi made
their exits from the station,there hasn’t been much of a reason for me to tune
in. But the possibility of reuniting with two dear characters and discovering
their new world would win my heart back for sure. And probably the attention of
many nostalgic and curious 20-30 year olds as well – way to bring in a new
demographic!